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350.org: August heat record shows ‘Planet on Fire’, urges leaders to quit fossil fuels – EnviroNews
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Global climate campaign group, 350.org, has urged world leaders to take urgent action to curb fossil-fuel use, following confirmation that August 2026 was the joint-hottest month ever recorded.
The group said the latest global temperature record, combined with deadly heatwaves, wildfires, droughts and floods recorded in recent months, was clear evidence that the climate crisis was intensifying and already exacting a heavy human and economic toll.
The Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), implemented by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), reported that August recorded a global average surface air temperature of 16.96°C, tying July 2023 as the warmest month in the global record.
August was also the first month since November 2025 in which global temperatures exceeded 1.5°C above the estimated pre-industrial level, with the month registering 1.65°C above the 1850–1900 baseline.
350.org said the latest figures should serve as a warning to governments as the United Nations General Assembly approaches, arguing that climate action must move from declarations to concrete measures to reduce fossil-fuel dependence.
The organisation said extreme weather events in recent months had already caused tens of thousands of deaths, citing an estimated 35,000 excess deaths during Europe’s heatwaves and continuing casualties from glacial floods in Nepal.
Anne Jellema, Executive Director of 350.org, said there was now little room for doubt about the relationship between rising temperatures and the worsening impacts of climate disasters.
“There’s no more room for doubt – the deaths and devastation we’ve witnessed in the past few months are the imprints of a planet on fire,” Jellema said.
She warned that households already facing economic pressure from oil shocks were being pushed beyond their limits by climate disasters.
“Our leaders can’t just stand idly by as the world shoots past 1.5 C,” she said, calling on the UN General Assembly to become a moment for governments to demonstrate their commitment to addressing the climate crisis.
Jellema urged countries to move away from fossil fuels rather than expand investment in them, arguing that climate security and human security were increasingly inseparable.
“There can be no real security in a world on fire,” she said.
Pacific communities on high alert
The latest temperature record has also raised concerns among vulnerable island and coastal communities facing a combination of sea-level rise, extreme heat and increasingly severe storms.
Fenton Lutunatabua, Pacific and Caribbean Manager at 350.org, said communities in the region were preparing for the approaching cyclone season amid what he described as a potentially dangerous El Niño event.
He said communities were bracing for power cuts, crop losses, flooding and business disruptions, while the latest temperature records showed that the baseline for extreme heat had shifted significantly higher.
“We’ve seen the devastation from rising temperatures on communities in Nepal, and our hearts feel their grief,” Lutunatabua said.
He linked the experiences of communities affected by floods and extreme weather to the growing threats facing Pacific island communities, including rising seas, the loss of homes and cemeteries, and damage to livelihoods from cyclones.
“This is the reality of a world beyond 1.5 degrees, and it is a reality we refuse to accept,” he said.
Indonesia wildfires add to climate concerns
In Indonesia, the combination of extreme heat and dry conditions has contributed to worsening wildfires, according to 350.org.
Sisilia Nurmala Dewi, Indonesia Manager at 350.org, said the country’s worst wildfires in more than a decade were spreading toxic smoke across Southeast Asia while releasing large quantities of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
She said the fires were creating consequences that would continue even after the flames had been extinguished, particularly for public health and the climate.
“While climate change isn’t the only factor, record heat has made the wildfires more devastating,” Dewi said.
She called for governments to take climate science more seriously and argued that the financial burden of climate-related damage should not fall primarily on ordinary citizens.
“Polluters such as fossil fuel companies must be forced to foot the bill, not ordinary households,” she said.
Ocean temperatures reach record levels
The August temperature record coincided with unprecedented ocean heat.
According to C3S, the average sea surface temperature across the extra-polar oceans reached a record high for August, with the monthly average tying the highest level ever recorded for any month.
Daily sea surface temperatures also reached a new record of 21.11°C on August 24 and 25.
The extreme ocean heat has been associated with rapidly warming waters in the equatorial Pacific as a strong El Niño event develops. Scientists caution, however, that the underlying long-term warming trend is primarily driven by human-caused greenhouse gas emissions.
The warming oceans are particularly significant because they can influence rainfall patterns, storm behaviour, marine ecosystems and the frequency or intensity of certain climate extremes.
Western Europe records hottest summer
The global heat record came as western Europe experienced its warmest summer on record.
C3S reported that the region’s summer temperature surpassed the previous record set in 2003. Persistent heatwaves were accompanied by widespread dryness across parts of western, central and eastern Europe.
Severe drought conditions were reported in several countries, including France, the United Kingdom, Hungary, Romania and Serbia, while major rivers such as the Rhine and Danube recorded exceptionally low flows.
The combination of extreme heat and drought also increased wildfire risks in several areas.
Beyond a temperature statistic
While exceeding 1.5°C for a single month does not mean that the Paris Agreement’s long-term temperature goal has formally been breached—the threshold is assessed over much longer periods—the August figure highlights how close the world is moving towards sustained levels of warming that scientists have warned will produce increasingly severe impacts.
For developing countries, particularly those with high dependence on agriculture, fisheries and climate-sensitive livelihoods, the consequences can be particularly severe.
The latest record therefore adds to calls for governments to strengthen climate adaptation, early-warning systems and disaster preparedness while accelerating the transition from fossil fuels to cleaner sources of energy.
As world leaders prepare for the UN General Assembly, 350.org said the latest climate data should provide a basis for stronger political action rather than another round of promises.
The organisation’s central message is that the growing human and economic costs of extreme weather make continued dependence on fossil fuels increasingly difficult to justify.